September | 2020 | thehealingpowerofcooking

After decades in the kitchen, it can get quite boring reproducing the same old dishes over and over again. So I am always on the lookout for anything new and exciting in the world of food. Especially if it’s in the “appetizer” or “finger food” form.

My favourite way to eat: drinks and nibbles.

I first ran into a version of this dish as I was coasting through facebook, a quick video by Jamie Oliver popped up in my feed. Interesting I thought, I never knew you could grill fruits! Sometime later as I was searching for new appetisers ideas for a little get together in our verandah, this dish came to mind. I searched high and low for it, until I finally found it on youtube.

Jamie’s version was on skewers on the grill. Since I have a strong aversion to outside grilling, I decided to forego the skewers, and grill on a baking sheet in the oven.

I have now made this dish at least half a dozen times, and in all honesty I can not find enough words of praise, it is undoubtedly one of my new absolute favourites!!!

Thank you Jamie!

Ingredients:

1 large peach or 2 smaller ones (not too soft)

1 clove garlic (grated)

¼ peach (grated)

salt/pepper

oregano

olive oil

a pieace of fresh crusty bread (for later)

Method:

Cut the Halloumi into cubes

Cut the peach into smilar size cubes

add the grated garlic & peach, salt, pepper, oregano & olive oil,

mix really well with your hands to cover all the pieces.

Cover the dish and refrifirate till later.

Cut the bread into thick-ish slices, then into cubes, again similar size as the halloumi and the peach. Put in a small zip lock ready for later.

You will have to wait until your guests arrive before you assemble this dish.

Set oven to grill, and adjust heat to maximum.

Spread your halloumi and peach pieces on a baking sheet.

Put your cut up bread into the same marinade and mix well to coat all the pieces.

Add the bread on the same baking sheet, in between the halloumi and the peach. Make sure it is not all crammed on top of each other as it will not grill properly.

Put the tray on the highest shelf in the oven.

Dont go far as it will not take long. Halloumi should have a nice colour to it, and the bread should crisp nicely.

Depending on your oven, you may need to turn a few pieces over half way in between.

When ready, transfer on a large platter, and tear some fresh mint leaves on top.

P.S. If I could eat this everyday, I would!!

Our friend Christa loves to experiment with new dishes. So whenever we get together, in her house or ours, it’s almost always something new that one of us has put together and is eager to share with the other.

It is of great help ofcourse that both our husbands love food, and both have a “forgiving palate”, a good feature to lighten up our sometimes failed experimentations.

This one right here is a great success, impressive looking, and really easy to make. I have no doubt that you will love it as much as we do.

What makes this pie different from the traditional Greek Spanakopita, is 1) the pastry: puff pastry instead of filo, and 2) the cheese: Anthotiro instead of just feta. Also 3) the spinach is used fresh instead of cooked and drained.

I loved the use of Anthotiro because the cubes stay almost intact after cooking, and easy to see in the final product, instead of being crumbled into the mixture. When the pie is sliced, hot or cold, it is very pretty looking.

So back to the star ingredient “Anthotiro”.

This cheese is made from sheep or goat milk, or a mixture of both. It can be fresh like Misitra, or dry also like Misitra.

The version used in this recipe is dry Anthotiro.

Ingredients: